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NUCLEAR POWER IN EUROPE
Lady Barbara Thomas Judge
Overview
Nuclear power in Europe accounted for approximately 15% of total energy consumption in 2011.
Today however, the energy policies of the European countries vary significantly. As of January,
14 out of 27 countries had nuclear reactors. The countries that currently have reactors are:
Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Romania,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. New reactors under construction in
Finland and France, which were meant to lead a nuclear renaissance, have been delayed and are
running over-budget.
Specifically the situation is as follows:
Belgium
12 October 2009 the Belgian government decided to extend the period of operation of three
reactors at the country’s nuclear power plants (Doel 1, Doel 2 and Tihange 1) by 10 years
(ratification by Belgium’s federal parliament still needed)
In July 2012, the Belgian government agreed on a revised phase-out plan. The plan provides that
the unit 1 at the Tihange nuclear power plant will operate until 2025. However Doel 1 and 2 will
shut down in 2015 as scheduled in in accordance with the 2003 phase-out law.
Bulgaria
New 2000-MW (2 VVER reactors) at Belene are expected to be operational by 2015 and 2016
respectively to help compensate for the closure of Kozloduy units 1-4. The project has, however,
suffered delays due to difficulties in financing the construction.
Just after Fukushima, the Russian and Bulgarian governments agreed on a three-month
moratorium on the construction of the Belene nuclear power plant to calculate an exact price and
to fully assess seismic risks. The “stress tests” report on Kozloduy and Belene completed in
January 2012 found that they both could withstand the strongest earthquake in the region.
Nevertheless in March 2012, the Bulgarian government decided to abandon the construction of
the Belene nuclear power plant on financial grounds.
Czech Republic
In July 2009 the Czech government adopted a strategy document that sets forth proposals for an
extension of Temelin. Dukovany also opened a tender process in August 2009 for the
construction of two additional reactor units at the Temelin nuclear power plant. The successful
supplier is expected to be selected by 2013.
After Fukushima the Czech government said it would carry on its new build plans. The Prime
Minister and the different political parties except the Greens expressed a strong poltical will to
complete Temelin. In July 2012, three qualified potential vendors (Areva, Atomstroyexport and
Westinghouse) submitted their bids for the construction of two new nuclear units at Temelin.
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Finland
A new nuclear power plant unit Olkiluoto 3 is under construction and is meant to be completed
by 2013. On 21 April 2010: the Finnish government gave its "preliminary permission" to the
Finnish utility TVO and to Fennovoima to build two more nuclear reactors. The decision was
ratified by the Finnish parliament on 1 July 2011
The licensing process for the two new nuclear reactors to be built by TVO and Fennovoima will
be carried out without any delay according to the government.
France
An EPR unit is currently under construction at a site near Flamanville in Normandy and is
expected to be completed by 2014. Just after Fukushima, President Sarkozy, reaffirmed the
safety of the nuclear reactors, however the Socialist party won the latest elections in June 2012.
During the presidential campaign, the new President, François Hollande, said he would close the
Fessenheim nuclear power plant before the end of his term (2017), but no firm decision has been
made yet although there has been a great deal of speculation.
Germany
The government agreed on 5 September 2010 to extend the operational duration its nuclear power
plants by 12 years on average beyond 2021. The decision had been confirmed by the adoption on
28 September of a new energy strategy and had been ratified by the Parliament in November
2010.
Chancellor Angela Merkel, however, in reaction to strong political pressure from the Green Party,
announced on 15 March the immediate closure, at least until June, of seven nuclear power
reactors that had started operating before 1980. On 6 August 2011, eight reactors were declared
permanently shut down. On 30 May, the government adopted the decision to phase out all nuclear
by 2022 (ratified by Parliament on 30 June) and on 6 June it made amendments to the country’s
Atomic Energy Act to effect this decision.
Hungary
The government announced on 16 February 2009 a proposal to double the capacity of the
country‘s sole nuclear power plant at Paks. It was ratified by the parliament on 31 March 2009.
The new reactors should be completed by 2025.
Italy
On 23 July 2009 the Italian Parliament adopted a bill bringing to an end a ban on the use of
nuclear energy which had been in place since 1987. On 15 February 2010 the Italian government
adopted a decree defining the criteria and procedures for the construction of nuclear power plants
in the country by 2020. In January 2011 there was a ruling of the constitutional court allowing a
referendum to decide on whether there should be construction of nuclear power plants.
Thereafter the government approved on 23 March a one-year moratorium on the construction of
the country's first nuclear power plant by 2020. On 19 April 2012 an amendment was tabled that
indefinitely puts on hold new build plans. Then on 12 & 13 June, Italian citizens voted against
nuclear power in a referendum.
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The Netherlands
In January 2006, the Dutch government decided to prolong the life of the country's sole nuclear
power plant, Borssele, for another twenty years. On 17 February 2011, the Economics Minister,
Maxime Verhagen, sent a letter to the parliament allowing the construction of a new nuclear unit
to begin in 2015.
After Fukushima, the Dutch government said it would carry on with its new build plan. The stress
tests’ report of the Netherlands concluded that Borssele meets all the safety requirements.
However in January 2012, Delta, the Dutch energy utility, decided mainly on financial grounds to
postpone its new build plan for 2 to 3 years.
Poland
13 January 2009: the government adopted a resolution on nuclear energy that indicates that by
2020 electricity will be generated by one or two nuclear power plants. The current problem in
Poland is that financing is difficult, but the Poles seem determined to go forward.
Romania
The second nuclear reactor of Cernavoda nuclear power plant was inaugurated on 5 October 2007.
Plans to complete Cernavoda 3 and 4 are also under way and the government intends to go
forward with its new build plans. The investors for Cernavoda 3 and 4 should be selected very
soon.
Slovakia
On 3 November 2008, Prime Minister Fico and Fulvio Conti announced that the construction of
units 3 & 4 at Mochovce due to be completed in 2012 and 2013 respectively had begun. In
December 2008, the Slovak government chose Czech utility CEZ as its strategic partner in
proposals to construct its fifth reactor.
Slovenia
On 20 November 2009, the Economy Minister, Matej Lahovnik, announced that the planned
second reactor at the Krsko nuclear power plant (NEK) would be completed between 2020 and
2025. On 14 January 2010, the Slovenian utility, GEN-energija, sent an application to the
Economy Ministry for a permit to build a second unit at the Krsko nuclear power plant.
Spain
When the PSOE (Socialist Party) won the general elections, it had made a political statement to
phase out nuclear power, but no calendar or specific strategy had been fixed. On 2 July 2009
there was a decision to grant an operating licence to the Garoña nuclear power plant in Northern
Spain for a further four years. On 15 February 2011 there was ratification by the Spanish
Congress of a Sustainable Economy Law, in which the reference to a maximum operational
duration of 40 years for nuclear power plants had been deleted
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The conservative government that came into office in November 2011 is more favourable to
nuclear. In July 2012, it overturned the decision of the previous socialist government that had
decided to grant an operating licence to the Garoña nuclear power plant in Northern Spain only
until 2013 opening up the possibility for it to operate until 2019.
Sweden
In February 2010, the Swedish government put forward a draft law that would allow the
construction of a maximum 10 new nuclear units in the country to replace existing units as they
are shut down. It was ratified by the parliament on 18 June. This brings to an end the nuclear
phase-out policy that was first introduced in 1980.
The Prime Minister said that the government would not reconsider its decision to replace nuclear
reactors at the end of their lifetime.
Switzerland
In February 2007 the Swiss government adopted a new energy policy strategy, which
emphasised the necessity to replace existing units with new ones to avoid a future energy
gap. On 15 November 2010 there was a positive assessment of the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety
Inspectorate on the suitability of 3 sites for the construction of two new nuclear power plants.
After Fukushima the government had suspended the approval process for the construction of the
two new nuclear power plants in order to review safety standards. The Swiss Federal Nuclear
Safety Inspectorate has also been required to carry out safety evaluations at Switzerland's five
existing nuclear power plants, which they passed successfully. On 25 May 2011, the government
decided not to replace ageing nuclear reactors and to phase out nuclear by 2034.
While parliament has agreed to this strategy it has added a backdoor which would allow
reconsideration of the decision if “new generation reactors” with significant improvements in
safety, efficiency and waste production would become available. Even though government and
parliament have agreed to the nuclear phase out it will still need public support in a referendum
held presumably in autumn 2014.
United Kingdom
On 10 January 2008, the British government published a Nuclear White Paper, which announced
that a new generation of nuclear power plants would be built in the UK. The new coalition
government adopted a revised draft National Policy Statement on energy, which recognised the
essential role that nuclear has to play in ensuring the UK’s energy supply along with other lowcarbon energy sources by 2025. It also confirmed eight sites as suitable locations for nuclear new
build.
The coalition government (Conservatives and Liberal Democrats) is very committed to pushing
forward with a new fleet of nuclear power station in the UK. There is also strong cross-party
support, with Labour committed to a new nuclear build programme as part of long-term energy
policy for the UK. The new secretary of state for energy, Liberal Democrat Ed Davey, has
already indicated that he will follow the government plan to take forward new nuclear build.